Information Panel: Welcome to Fort Washington's Waterside Trail
in Maryland · centroid 14 mi from Washington
Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail "The garrison to our great surprise, retreated from the fort and a short time afterward Fort Washington was blown up, which left the Capitol of America and the populous town of Alexandria open to the squadron without the loss of a man." Self-Destruction Explosions at Fort WashingtonAugust 27, 1814 surprised British and Americans alike. A British squadron slowly making its way up the Potomac expected resistance from the well-positioned fort. Alexandrians, fearing they were next after Washington's fall three days before, expected protection from the fort.
Samuel Dyson, U.S. Army captain in command decided his 45-man garrison would be no match for the British. He ordered the fort destroyed and was later court martialed for his decision. Defenseless Alexandria negotiated surrender, and the British confiscated tobacco and other property.
As the enemy withdrew down the Potomac with their prizes, angry Americans shot from shore and dispatched fire-ships with little effect. Welcome to Fort Washington's Waterside Trail Living where the land meets the water gives us everything we need: shelter in the woods, food to eat, and clean water to drink. Our climate promises a good life for the 15 million people and the more than 3,000 types of plants and animals that live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- States
- Maryland
- Trail type
- Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Washington, DC · 14 mi · ~25 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.7124°, -77.0361°
About Fort Washington Park
This trail is inside Fort Washington Park, a park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/information-panel-welcome-to-fort-washington-s-waterside-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/fowa/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Information Panel: Welcome to Fort Washington's Waterside Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Mount Vernon Trail Mile 0
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Information Panel: The Path to Freedom
12 miles from this trail's centroid
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
12 miles from this trail's centroid
Mount Vernon Trail North Terminus
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Capital Crescent Trail terminus
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.